Can't access FreeNAS via wifi, only ethernet

[Glorious1]

Yesterday and today I can't get to my FreeNAS via wifi as I usually do (i.e., laptop -> wifi -> router -> ethernet -> freenas). If I connect my laptop to the router with ethernet cable, it works fine. This applies to FreeNAS GUI, AFP access, SSH, everything.

The laptop wifi works fine getting on the internet and accessing the router/modem setup.

Yesterday I was deep in the throes of installing OpenVPN and a firewall in a jail on the FreeNAS. That was all in the jail though, so I don't see how I could have screwed up the main FreeNAS setup. Anyway, I guess the problem is not FreeNAS because it communicates by wire either way. I don't think I changed anything on the router , but it's possible. It's a Arris / Motorola SURFboard Gateway SBG6580 DOCSIS 3.0 Wireless N Cable Modem with four ethernet ports.

Any idea what might make it possible to get in only from ethernet, not wifi?

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

Any idea what might make it possible to get in only from ethernet, not wifi?

Some kind of AP isolation setting in the router? It's what you would enable if you were offering public WiFi and didn't want all the clients to be visible to each other.

 

[Glorious1]

Some kind of AP isolation setting in the router? It's what you would enable if you were offering public WiFi and didn't want all the clients to be visible to each other.

Thanks, I'll look into that. OK, there IS a setting called "AP Isolate", but it's disabled.

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

Sanity check: all on the same subnet, right? What happens when you ping over WiFi?

Is there anything else you can't see over WiFi that you can see over Ethernet?

Something messed up in routing?

I'm just guessing, sorry.

 

[Glorious1]

Sanity check: all on the same subnet, right? What happens when you ping over WiFi?

Is there anything else you can't see over WiFi that you can see over Ethernet?

Something messed up in routing?

I'm just guessing, sorry.

I don't have any subnets in the LAN. It's pretty simple. The only things permanently wired in to the router are the FreeNAS box and a Mac mini. I can't reach the mini over wifi through the router either (mini's wifi is disabled). Nor can I ping them from the laptop over wifi. Pinging works when the laptop is plugged into ethernet.

Hey, you've got ideas at least. I'm clueless.

 

[pirateghost]

You have to have at least ONE subnet in your LAN, or it isn't really a network.

You don't happen to be double natting everything, right? One router where internet comes in, and another router that you have WiFi access running on?

 

[JJT211]

Reset and reconfigure your Wifi router will prob do the trick.

 

[Glorious1]

Reset and reconfigure your Wifi router will prob do the trick.

Well I thought it would too, but was reluctant to do all the reconfiguring. But I did it and was surprised to find the problem persists.

Here's another clue though. When I unplug and then replug my laptop from the wire, I get the following in FreeNAS's /var/messages:

Code:

Dec  7 06:30:24 Tabernacle su: jim to root on /dev/pts/0
Dec  7 06:31:19 Tabernacle kernel: arp: 192.168.0.100 moved from c4:2c:03:xx to 60:33:4b:xx on epair2b
Dec  7 06:31:19 Tabernacle kernel: arp: 192.168.0.100 moved from c4:2c:03:xx to 60:33:4b:xx on igb0
Dec  7 06:31:37 Tabernacle kernel: arp: 192.168.0.100 moved from 60:33:4b:xx to c4:2c:03:xx on epair2b
Dec  7 06:31:37 Tabernacle kernel: arp: 192.168.0.100 moved from 60:33:4b:xx to c4:2c:03:xx on igb0

Those MAC addresses are my laptop's wifi and ethernet addresses. So am I interpreting this right, that FreeNAS can see my laptop when it's on wifi, but I can't ping it or communicate with it in any way?

 

[Jailer]

Anything on your network, such as your freenas box, have a fixed IP? If so is it inside your DHCP range?

 

[SweetAndLow]

2 machines in your network probably are using the same IP. Fix that by configuring static ips not in your dhcp range.

 

[Glorious1]

Jailer and SweetAndLow, there are definitely devices with static IPs. I set those on the devices rather than in the router because it never works right in the router. There SHOULD not be conflicts, but the fact that both of you are barking up the same tree suggests there may be something up that tree. I'll check that when I get home.

Let me ask you this. I want my laptop to be 192.168.0.100. As far as I know, I have always set that static IP in the computer for both ethernet and wifi. At least, that's the way it is now. Now I'm wondering, is that a conflict?

 

[Jailer]

You have to set the static IP outside of your DHCP range that your router is set to.

Say for instance if your DHCP range is 192.168.0.1 - 192.168.0.255. If you set the static IP on your laptop to 192.168.0.100 your router has no way on knowing that and will hand out that IP to a device causing a conflict. The fix is to limit your DHCP range in the router and set a static IP for whatever devices you want to that it outside that DHCP range.

I have my DHCP range set to .1 to .199. That leaves .200 to .255 set aside to assign whatever IP I want within that second range including that jails on FreeNAS.

You have to plan your network layout so that you can run everything the way you want it to and not run into conflicts such as you are having now.

 

[Glorious1]

I did not have the DHCP range restricted, but I had the static IPs all x.x.x.100 and above - DHCP addresses are always assigned < x.x.x.10 because there are only a handful of devices. However, I went ahead and did that just to be sure, as you suggest.

Then I discovered the error. Not what you were expecting, because you were not expecting an idiotic mistake. I set the subnet mask for wifi to 255.255.255.255. For some reason this worked accessing the router and internet, but not other computers. I guess it is like another way to "AP Isolate" your computer. When I changed it to 255.255.255.0, voila.

Thanks for the suggestions that kept me looking at it!

 

[Jailer]

Glad you got it figured out.

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

I set the subnet mask for wifi to 255.255.255.255 ... I guess it is like another way to "AP Isolate" your computer.

Yes, this subnet mask says "nothing is on the same subnet as this device".

 

[Glorious1]

Interesting. That subnet stuff is confusing, and this mistake and your explanation open the door a little bit to understanding it. Thanks.

 

[JJT211]

It's a lil weird at first but its actually easier than you think. Here's a short 2 min explanation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-ag_ocHn8Y

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

In the context of that video, it's worth noting that most home networks use class C addresses.